Cammie Wilks, contributer

Between attending classes, working multiple jobs and maintaining a social life, college students are very busy. During long days and late-night study sessions, students run on caffeine, and to some it has become somewhat of a lifeline.

According to Harvard University, the average person in the United States consumes 135 milligrams of caffeine daily, which could be consumed via soda, energy drinks or chocolate; however, many people instead choose coffee to wake them up.

Berry College serves coffee at three locations across campus: Java City, the Berry Bean’ry and the Dining Hall. Located in Krannert, the Bean’ry was previously known for serving roasts from Starbucks. This past summer, the Bean’ry’s roast was replaced with original products made by Swift & Finch, a local coffee shop popular among Rome residents.

In the spring of 2026, there was an on-campus event where Swift & Finch provided students with free samples out of their coffee van. Their coffee was a hit with students, and as a result, Berry’s Aramark staff started a conversation with Swift & Finch to bring their coffee to campus.

Ellie Mahon, owner of Swift & Finch, said opening a second location at Berry was something they could have only dreamed of.

“When we dream towards where we would like to be, we thought about second locations often,” Mahon said. “We’ve always said that having something on-campus at Berry felt the most exciting for such a long time. So, when [Aramark] reached out to us, it was a very enthusiastic yes.”

Junior Jordan Barden was excited when he heard an outside company was joining the Berry community.

“I think the idea of having a local company inside of Berry is so cool and novel,” Barden said. “I think that I’m a big supporter of it. As for its content, I’m not a big coffee drinker, but what I just tried, the brown sugar latte, it was pretty good.”

Products such as tea, refreshers and matcha have been popular among students, offering new options to those who do not neccessarily like coffee.

Junior Amanda Hartnett is one of those students who started going to the Bean’ry after the introduction of non-coffee options.

“I never really went to the Bean’ry before the rebrand,” Hartnett said. “I went to it sometimes, but there was never enough options. Now that there are more options at the Bean’ry, I have been going more often.”

Now with the addition of Swift & Finch products, students may have a hard time choosing between that and Java City, but Hartnett found her choice to be easy.

“If I were to choose between Swift & Finch and Java City, I would probably just choose Java City,” Harnett said. “Because I have noticed that the sizes are smaller, and the Bean’ry costs a bit more than Java City.”

Mahon started Swift & Finch 14 years ago when she moved to Rome with her husband. At the time, she was frustrated with how often local coffee shops seemed to come and go. The logical course of action after complaining about it so much was to start her own coffee shop with a friend she went to college with. One particular challenge that Mahon and her coworker faced when opening their own café was finding a way to incorporate their own blends, which is why Swift & Finch is special. Despite the hardships that came with this, Swift & Finch is now the beloved coffee shop that the local community and visitors enjoy to this day.

“I would say the learning curve early on was roasting our own coffee,” Mahon said. “It is such an art and a science and really a skill set. It took a lot to learn that skill out of the gate while also trying to learn the business side of things. I feel like in the city of Rome, we were able to grow alongside the coffee demand.”

Giving back to the community has always been an important pillar of Swift & Finch. Not only does the coffee shop display works of art made by various artists from Rome’s community and Berry alumni, but they also frequently use their 1971 Citroen H-van to cater local events in the community.

Mahon says that the employees of Swift & Finch are very tight-knit and act as one big family, with many of the employees having worked for the café for multiple years.

“It has been such an honor to experience the community of Rome come alongside me in my vision for this place,” Mahon said. “You know, there is no way I could manage, run or own Swift & Finch by myself, especially in how it has grown. To work alongside some of my closest friends, people that have started as coworkers and turned into some of my dearest friends that help me grow the business? It has truly been an honor.”

The introduction of Swift & Finch to the Bean’ry is only the first update the location has recieved. There have been discussions and efforts to continuously redecorate and refresh the appearance of the Bean’ry by adding flowers, student art and more potential décor. Additionally, similar to  their main location, Swift & Finch would like to bring some of their seasonal menu items to the Bean’ry. Students should be on the lookout for a fall menu coming soon.

Students may depend on caffeine to get them through the day, or maybe even the hour, but something that is much more impactful to Berry is a community and a place to belong. Swift & Finch’s partnership with the Bean’ry has the ingredients to not only supply students with quality blends, but to also add to the meaningful and continuous development that is a facet of Berry’s culture. The atmosphere of the Bean’ry has completely changed, but the students that have enjoyed the coffee have only grown into a longer line.

“Swift & Finch at the Bean’ry has been a dream realized,” Mahon said. “It’s amazing to see something that started just as a little seed in my imagination now 15 years down the road that has grown into such a place that brings life and joy for the community of Rome, and in addition to that, the community of Berry. I think it has been one of the most life-giving and exciting adventures of my life.”